LED face masks touted as cures for rosacea and acne have been prohibited from advertising such claims due to a lack of supporting evidence.

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), a national regulatory body, has intervened against Project E Beauty, an online retailer, for asserting that their products can alleviate these often distressing skin conditions.

Rosacea, characterized by facial redness and sometimes bumps, and acne are recognized medical issues that require diagnosis and treatment by healthcare professionals.

The LED face mask industry is poised for significant growth, with projections suggesting an increase from £290 million to £600 million by 2032.

These masks, available in either a soft, flexible latex form or a more rigid shell, are designed to replicate the LED treatments found in professional skin clinics. However, their efficacy is often questioned due to their comparatively lower power.

Previous studies indicate that the red light wavelengths emitted by these LED bulbs may promote skin cell growth.

However, any product which is cited as being able to positively affect or influence a medical condition must be registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and meet strict testing criteria.

The ASA challenged whether the ads made medicinal claims for an unauthorised product, in this case that the masks—which have not been approved as an official treatment for either condition by the MHRA—can offer ‘preventative action…and claims to treat disease.’ 

One of the other retailers given a slap on the wrist by the ASA

The Project E Beauty ads, which were posted on Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram, were highlighted by the ASA’s new AI scanning tool, which identified several problematic keywords and phrases. 

These included a video with a man superimposed over a search-engine result that included text stating, ‘Quality at-home LED light therapy can also help reduce […] acne’. 

The man said, ‘LED light therapy actually has clinically proven benefits […] blue light kills acne causing bacteria.’ 

He then appeared in front of a list which included the text ‘Anti-Acne’, ‘Eliminates acne-causing bacteria’, ‘reduce acnes’ and ‘Alleviates redness from […] rosacea’. 

The man said, ‘This mask from project e beauty […] has seven different colour modes […] one for acne’ and ‘Three minutes of blue light for reducing acne.’ 

There were also issues on the retailer’s website, www.projectebeauty.uk. 

These included an image of the LumaLux Face LED therapy mask with the text ‘Our most advanced LED mask for deeper skin renewal – […] acne’. 

Other text stated, ‘treats acne’, ‘Target […] acne’, ‘Clear Acne’ and ’83 per cent Improvement in acne lesions in 4 weeks’. 

Customer testimonials are not equivalent to medical testing, the ASA ruled 

The testimonial adverts must not make unproven medical claims 

Before and after images showed a woman’s forehead with and without acne, and were accompanied by the text ‘By Week 3, my acne had disappeared’. 

Further text read ‘use your mask to target […] acne’, ‘HEAL ACNE’, ‘Acne Healing Blue light therapy uses specific acne-targeting wavelengths to eliminate acne-causing bacteria […] while […] treating other acne biomarkers’ and ‘Skin Repair Red, cyan and yellow light help to […] fight signs of […] rosacea’. 

The ad also included the text ‘Target acne at all its life stages […] destroy acne-causing bacteria P-acnes’ and ‘prevent acne breakouts. Acne can damage the skin barrier, so it is important to take a reparative approach to treatment including red light therapy’.   

The ASA commented: ‘We considered those were claims that the product could treat or prevent acne and rosacea, both of which were medical conditions. We considered that the ads made medicinal claims and therefore required that the product met the requirements for medical devices. 

‘We had seen no evidence that the product was registered with the MHRA or had the appropriate conformity marking. 

‘Therefore, no medical claims could be made for the product, whether or not such claims appeared in customer testimonials. 

‘The ads must not appear again in their current form. We told Project E Beauty LLC not to make medicinal claims for products that did not have the applicable conformity marking and were not registered with the MHRA.’    

Project E Beauty has since removed the medical claims relating to ‘healing, ‘treating acne’ and ‘rosacea’, and made it clear that the claims made in its adverts are customer testimonials. 

The ASA are cracking down on medical claims made by LED facemask retailers

It’s not only Project E Beauty who got a slap on the wrist from the regulators as part of their wider crackdown on adverts for LED skincare masks.

The ASA banned a social media video advertising a Silk’n face mask  with the caption: ‘Finished with the blue light to help treat my acne and scars.’

Their holding company acknowledged ‘acne’ is a medical term and said the advert reflected individual perception and results.

Luyors had a paid Meta ad banned after it stated: ‘It helps tackle everything from acne […] with clinical precision’.

The LED therapy tools retailer said their intention had been to describe the cosmetic benefits of their product, rather than to make a medicinal claim.

And an advert on the Beautaholics website for a RejuvaLux mask stated it ‘provides targeted solutions for […] acne, […] rosacea’, claims which were also made in a paid-for Meta ad.

Beautaholics said they would not make claims regarding the treatment or prevention of medical conditions in future.

Izzy Dharmasiri, of the ASA, said: ‘We know ads can have an influence on what people buy. When it comes to skincare and health treatments, it’s important that advertisers don’t blur the line between cosmetic benefits and medicinal claims.

‘People should be able to trust the ads they see and hear. The ad rules are clear, products that claim to treat or prevent medical conditions must be licensed or registered with the MHRA. Advertisers also need to have evidence to back up any claims they make in their ads.

‘It’s important we act to protect people who may be vulnerable and seeking genuine solutions to medical problems.’